Rob King
Rob manages the Airborne Research Team. The team’s primary focus is to provide aircraft based observations to exploit NWP satellite data using radiometric instrumentation on the FAAM research aircraft.
Areas of expertise
Rob’s main area of expertise come from his technical background with experience in the design, manufacture and maintenance of instrumentation, this also includes fitting instruments to aircraft.
Current activities
Rob’s team are currently upgrading the ARIES (Airborne Research Interferometer Evaluation System) with new electronics, collaborating with a commercial partner to develop a hyperspectral radiometer that will ultimately become the basis for a satellite instrument.
The team are also continuing to support ISMAR (International Sub Millimetre Airborne Radiometer) and MARSS (Microwave Airborne Radiometer Scanning System).
Rob also sits on the various FAAM Instrument working groups as well as the FAAM operations committee and FAAM health and safety committee.
As well as activities with airborne radiometers, Rob and the team also provide technical support to other areas of Observations R&D.
Career background
Rob's career started as a research technician at the University of Exeter Department of Physics, specialising in low temperature semiconductors but with a broad remit covering various Physics and Engineering-based projects. Subsequent to this, Rob entered the semiconductor industry, working with semiconductor lasers and sputtering equipment. He was a qualified Service Engineer of CPI sputtering power supplies.
Rob joined the Met Office in March 2007.